Niners Nation
After Sunday night’s blockbuster trade that sent Rafeal Devers to the San Francisco Giants, which Bay Area-based sports team will be the next to win a championship
Just as Sunday Night Baseball was getting underway, the San Francisco Giants shocked the baseball world by acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox.
Devers, who is objectively one of the best hitters in baseball — he’s in the 90th percentile or better in expecting slugging, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, walk rate, and hard hit percentage — is only 28.
Presumably, he would have been dealt for another one of the best arms or batters on the Giants. Logan Webb? Robbie Ray and some prospects? Camilo Doval or Randy Rodriguez? Nope. A first-round pick and a couple of players who are too inconsistent to stay in the Giants rotation. This is the type of trade former NBA commissioner David Stern would have vetoed.
The Giants are one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, boasting a +45 run differential. Barring a second-half collapse, they’ll be in the playoff race right up until the end of the season. Their pitching gives them a chance to win in the postseason, and dropping a superstar like Devers in a lineup makes San Francisco a viable threat, all while taking pressure off the likes of Willy Adames.
But that trade got us thinking: Which Bay-Area-based sports team is closest to winning a championship?
The Golden State Warriors looked like they were going to run circles around the Minnesota Timberwolves for a quarter, but then Steph Curry got hurt. The Dubs have one of the best defenders of this generation in Draymond Green and complement Curry with Jimmy Butler. One of these years, Steve Kerr will figure out what to do with Jonathan Kuminga. If not, he’s a viable asset in any sign-and-trade deals this offseason.
The San Jose Sharks have been in the dumps for as long as I can remember. They’ll need three more Macklin Celebrini’s to be considered in this conversation.
The Golden State Valkyries are feisty but an expansion team that has been an underdog by 15+ points a few times this season against the better WNBA teams. That’s a sign they’re a few years away.
I know nothing about MLS and couldn’t tell you how the local soccer club is doing.
That brings us to the San Francisco 49ers. A team that couldn’t have come closer to winning a championship without actually winning one during the previous decade. Kyle Shanahan’s teams have held second half leads in both Super Bowls. After an injury-laden season in 2024, a last-place schedule gives the Niners an opportunity once again to make the playoffs.
Your answer might depend on how you feel about Mike Dunleavy Jr., Buster Posey, or John Lynch. It could come down to the in-game decision-making of Bob Melvin, Kerr, or Shanahan. Or the outright talent of each team.
We’ll narrow it down to the three teams. Who is...
